[author: Susan Ryan]
Welcome back to The Week in Weed, your Friday look at what’s happening in the world of legalized marijuana. This week, the big news is that Delaware’s retail market has opened. There are problems with dispensary locations in New York. A federal ban on hemp was removed from the Farm Bill. And finally, a dispensary has opened with a Grand Central Station theme.
DELAWARE
Delaware legalized adult-use cannabis in April 2023. Last Friday, retail sales officially began. There are ten retail locations throughout the state, which may not seem like very many, but Delaware is an extremely small state. Governor Matt Meyer (D) has high expectations for the quality of the product, predicting it will be the “French wine of weed.” If two years seems like a long time from legalization to sales, it is. The Rockefeller Institute of Government has produced a handy chart to show exactly how long it has taken each state to start a retail market. Arizona was up and running in less than three months. On the other end of the scale, Virginia has now surpassed Maine’s almost four years(!) from legalization to market, and that lead will grow, since the governor is adamantly opposed to allowing legal sales. Needless to say, we’ll be keeping an eye on the Governor’s race there this November.
NEW YORK
Regular readers will doubtless recall that New York’s retail rollout has been less than smooth. The rocky times continue in the Empire State, as now over 150 dispensaries have been found to be located too close to schools. The devil is in the details, and apparently the state’s Office of Cannabis Management didn’t follow the rules for measuring the distance between a school and a dispensary. They were supposed to measure from the school’s property line, but they measured from the school’s front entrance instead. Oops. So what’s the solution? There’s a bill in the legislature that would basically grandfather in the dispensaries that were approved for a license but have been found to be non-compliant. Here’s hoping this works out.
HEMP
A federal ban on intoxicating hemp is off the table, at least for the moment. After some internecine squabbling between the two Senators from Kentucky, the ban was deleted from the current version of the Farm Bill. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) advocated for removing the language and Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) was defeated in his push to keep it in. McConnell vows to continue the fight, so this Bluegrass State showdown may not be over.
AND FINALLY
NYC Bud has just opened a new dispensary in Hell’s Kitchen, and the theme is Grand Central Station. Rather than read a description – just click on the link and see for yourself. Way to stand out!
Be well everyone – we’ll see you next week.
